Washboard



W. P. AND A. GRIFFITH.

WASHBOARD.

APPLICATION FILED IAII.1,192I.

1,385,442. Patented Jully 26, 1921.

Ulti-TED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

WILLIAM VI.I GRIFFITH AND'ANNA. GRIFFITH, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA;

wAsIIBoAaD. n

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed July 26, 1921.

Application led'J'anuary 7,1921. Serial No. 435,618.

the county of Hennepin and State of Min-V f nesota, have invented' certain new and useful Improvements in Washboards; and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has for its object to provide an improved wash board, and to such ends, generally stated, the` invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The improved board is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: Y

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the improved wash board;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the irregular line 2 2 of Fig. 1, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, the parts being on an enlarged scale.

The frame or body o-f the wash board .is made up of side bars 5, upper and lower tie bars 6 and 7, a backboard 8 and a soap or head board 9, which parts are rigidly tiedv together by nut-equipped tie rods 10.

The rubbing surface of the wash board is made up of or formed by alternating ridges or rows of brush bristles and rigid rubbing surfaces, both of which are extended longitudinally of the board and are continuous in the direction in which the rubbing action is produced on the board.

The rigid rubbing ridges or surfaces are preferably afforded by zinc or other sheet metal strips bent intochannel-shape form and indicated by the numeral 11. These channels 11 are filled by wooden strips 12, which are suitably secured to and bear against the backboard 8, preferably, by having their ends set into notches formed in the upper and lower cross bars 6l and 7. The upper or exposed surfacesof the sheet metal rubbing channels or strips 11 are translar so as to afford good rubbing surfaces.

Wooden strips 13 are interposed between the metal channel strips 11 and are secured against the backboard 8 ing their endsseated in notches formed in the upper and lower cross bars 6 and 7. These strips 13 afford brush backs which hold bristles or brush-forming material 14 that project upward beyond the rigid rubbing surfaces afforded by the corrugated eX posed surfaces of the metallic channel strips 11, see particularly portant to note rst that the brushes 14, at their exposed portions, are rounded in cross section, and second that the metal channel strips 11 are bulged against the brushes above the strips 13, so that they compress the brusheslaterally andhold the same in compact longitudinally continuous formation.

This not only exposes the brush surfaces above the rigid rubbing surfaces, but brings the bristles at the sides of the brushes into close contact with the sides of the intervening rigid rubbing surfaces afforded by the metal channels 11. Brushes and rigidrubbing surfaces thus assembled have been found ver highly satisfactory in actual practice. l'hey will not only do the best kind of cleaning, but the brushes are held so that they will not cause spattering of the suds. The corrugated or irregular solid rubbing surfaces produce the ordinary rubbing action of a standard wash board, but the brushes greatly increase the cleaning action. Moreover, with the two kinds of rubbing surfaces extended longitudinally of the board or in the direction of the rubbing action, the hands maintain a natural hold on the clothes, whereas, with such surfaces arranged transversely of the board, the rubbing action is uneven, the clothes tend to catch and release and the hands tend to lose their grip on the clothes. Hence, the arrangement and direction of extension of the alternated brushing and rubbing surfaces herein disclosed and claimed are highly important. H

The rigid metal strips afford unyielding bearing surfaces that prevent the hands from forcing or depressing the brushes to such an extent that aspattering action can be produced. In practice, it has been found that with wide brush surfaces, such as will be afforded by a wash board having its en- F ig. 4. Here it is vimversely corrugated or otherwise made irreguj preferably by hav-V tire vrubbing surface of bristles, it is practically impossible to prevent very obj ectionable spattering of the suds and water in the rubbing action.

To permit water to drain from soapcontained in the vsoap receptacle alorded by the boardr9 and upper cross bar 6, said board'is provided with one or more holes 15, and to permit water to drain ifrom'the lower end of the backboard 8, the vlower cross bar 7 is provided with holes 16.

The wash board described has, in practice, been found highly eticient. Its several parts may be made at'coinparatively small cost vand may be quickly and securely as sembled. c v Y f What wev claim is: l

Y l. A wash board having a rubbing surface formed by alternating rows of brush bristles and rigid rubbing strips, said. bristles and strips being extended longitudinally of the board and continuous in the direction of the rubbing action and both thereof being exposed where they will be engaged during the rubbing action. Y

2. `A wash board having a rubbing surface formed by alternating rows of brush bristles and rigid rubbing strips, said bristles and strips being extended longitudinally of the board and continuous in the direction of the yrubbing action and both thereof being exposed where they will be engaged during the rubbing action, said brush bristles being extended above said rubbing strips.

I 3V. A Wash board having a rubbing surface formed by alternating rows of brush bristles and" rigid rubbing strips, both extended lonandrigid rubbing strips, both extended longitudinally of the board and both being con.- Vtinuo'us'in the direction ofY the rubbing action, said rigid rubbing strips beingy formed by sheet metal channels having corrugated exposed surfaces,- 'said metal strips being filled by'wooden strips'and said bristles be? ing secured towooden strips held between said metal channels.

In testimony whereof we ailx our signatures. l f

Vvv'iLLiAM P. GRIFFITH. ANNA GRIFFITH. 

